1980 - Color, Governor Reagan: Excerpts, A Strategy For Peace In The 80s Speech. 19Oct80
Sitting on desk edge: “...we’ve heard the phrase Peace though strength so often, its meaning has become blurred through overuse. The time has come for America to recall once more the basic truths behind the familiar words. Peace is made by the fact of strength – economic, military, and strategic. Peace is lost when such strength disappears or – just as bad – is seen by an adversary as disappearing. We must build peace upon strength. There is no other way. And the cold, hard fact of the matter is that our economic, military, and strategic strength under President Carter is eroding. Only if we are strong will peace be strong. Throughout Scripture, we see reference to peace-makers – those who through their actions – not just their words – take the material of this imperfect world and with hard work, and God’s help, fashion from that material peace for the world.
00:58:43 “In recent weeks you’ve been hearing from a lot of other people as to what they say I believe about peace. Well, tonight let me tell you what I believe. Understanding of how peace is obtained – through competence & hard work, confidence, & patience – must guide & inspire this nation in the years ahead. And at the center of such peace-making is the need to restore our historic American tradition of bipartisanship. The cause of peace knows no party. The cause of peace transcends personal ambition. The cause of peace demands appeals for unity, not appeals to divisiveness. These are truisms – which Mr. Carter has forgotten – or chosen to ignore. Senator Ted Kennedy said earlier this year, in reference to him, that “no president should be reelected because he happened to be standing there when his foreign (edited).
00:59:37 “I have known four wars in my lifetime – I don’t want to see a fifth. I pray that never again will we bleed a generation of young Americans into the sands of island beachheads, the mud of European battlefields, or the rice paddies or jungles of Asia. Whether we like it or not, it is our responsibility to preserve world peace because no one else can do it. We cannot continue letting events & crises get out of control, we must – through sound management & planning – be in control so as to prevent being confronted by a crisis. This requires a sound economy, a strong national defense, and the will & determination to preserve peace & freedom.
Recently, I was on the campaign trail in the state where I was born & raised, Illinois. Nancy & I traveled down through the central & southern part of the state by bus & car in a motorcade, stopping at lovely towns; we visited a coal mine typical of our industrial capacity; saw for the first time the tomb of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield. We toured a productive family farm & saw again the amazing gift for technology that the American farmer has & how much he contributes to eliminating hunger in the world. At the end of the day we stood on the banks of the Mississippi beneath that great silver arch there in St. Louis, Missouri.
00:01:13 It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day. Thousands of families had come out to see us at every stop. It was a moving experience, but I was most moved, as I always am, by the young people, the youngsters – from the little ones perched on their father’s shoulders to the teenagers. You get a rebirth of optimism about our nation’s future when you see their young faces. They are what this campaign is all about. Renewing our spirit, securing their future in a world at peace is the legacy I would like to leave for them. You know, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence said it isn’t important that we leave wealth to our children; it is important that we leave them freedom. And we can only have that freedom if we continue to have peace throughout the world. Thank you and good evening.”
Presidential Campaign; Economics; Peacemakers; anti-Carter; Economy; Defense; Freedom; Cold War;
NOTE: A televised address by Governor Reagan. Credit must be given to Reagan Presidential Library.
Sign in with Google
Similar Sub-themes
1980 - Color, Governor Reagan: Excerpts, A Strategy For Peace In The 80s Speech. 19Oct80 Sitting on desk edge: “...we’ve heard the phrase Peace though strength so often, its meaning has become blurred through overuse. The time has come for America to recall once more the basic truths behind the familiar words. Peace is made by the fact of strength – economic, military, and strategic. Peace is lost when such strength disappears or – just as bad – is seen by an adversary as disappearing. We must build peace upon strength. There is no other way. And the cold, hard fact of the matter is that our economic, military, and strategic strength under President Carter is eroding. Only if we are strong will peace be strong. Throughout Scripture, we see reference to peace-makers – those who through their actions – not just their words – take the material of this imperfect world and with hard work, and God’s help, fashion from that material peace for the world. 00:58:43 “In recent weeks you’ve been hearing from a lot of other people as to what they say I believe about peace. Well, tonight let me tell you what I believe. Understanding of how peace is obtained – through competence & hard work, confidence, & patience – must guide & inspire this nation in the years ahead. And at the center of such peace-making is the need to restore our historic American tradition of bipartisanship. The cause of peace knows no party. The cause of peace transcends personal ambition. The cause of peace demands appeals for unity, not appeals to divisiveness. These are truisms – which Mr. Carter has forgotten – or chosen to ignore. Senator Ted Kennedy said earlier this year, in reference to him, that “no president should be reelected because he happened to be standing there when his foreign (edited). 00:59:37 “I have known four wars in my lifetime – I don’t want to see a fifth. I pray that never again will we bleed a generation of young Americans into the sands of island beachheads, the mud of European battlefields, or the rice paddies or jungles of Asia. Whether we like it or not, it is our responsibility to preserve world peace because no one else can do it. We cannot continue letting events & crises get out of control, we must – through sound management & planning – be in control so as to prevent being confronted by a crisis. This requires a sound economy, a strong national defense, and the will & determination to preserve peace & freedom. Recently, I was on the campaign trail in the state where I was born & raised, Illinois. Nancy & I traveled down through the central & southern part of the state by bus & car in a motorcade, stopping at lovely towns; we visited a coal mine typical of our industrial capacity; saw for the first time the tomb of Abraham Lincoln in Springfield. We toured a productive family farm & saw again the amazing gift for technology that the American farmer has & how much he contributes to eliminating hunger in the world. At the end of the day we stood on the banks of the Mississippi beneath that great silver arch there in St. Louis, Missouri. 00:01:13 It was a beautiful, crisp autumn day. Thousands of families had come out to see us at every stop. It was a moving experience, but I was most moved, as I always am, by the young people, the youngsters – from the little ones perched on their father’s shoulders to the teenagers. You get a rebirth of optimism about our nation’s future when you see their young faces. They are what this campaign is all about. Renewing our spirit, securing their future in a world at peace is the legacy I would like to leave for them. You know, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence said it isn’t important that we leave wealth to our children; it is important that we leave them freedom. And we can only have that freedom if we continue to have peace throughout the world. Thank you and good evening.” Presidential Campaign; Economics; Peacemakers; anti-Carter; Economy; Defense; Freedom; Cold War; NOTE: A televised address by Governor Reagan. Credit must be given to Reagan Presidential Library.